Fuel burning system and apparatus therefor



Oct. 6, 1936. l. v. .LNBADJNEFF 2,056,702

FUEL BURNING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. '7, 1932 5Sheets-Sheet 1 y ,Z'revenlor` I QM Oct, 1936. l. v. ABADJIEFF FUELBURNING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. '7, 1932 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Octo 6, 1936. l. v. ABADJIEFF FUEL BURNING SYSTEM ANDAPPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. '7, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l may ezr. imvl f Patented Oct. 6, 1935 UNITED STATES FUEL BURNING SYSTEM ANDAPPARATUS THEREFOR Ivan V. Abadjieff, Auburn, Mass., assignor toLeland-Gilford Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication September 7, 1932, Serial No. 631,984

15 Claims.

This invention relates to liquid fuel burning apparatus and systems andhas particular reference although not necessarily restricted to theso-called range-type of oil burners.

A range type oil burner as usually constructed comprises a base havingan open top and usually annular fuel channels or chambers withperforated tubes upstanding above the top of the channel and incommunication therewith in the space between which tubes, the vaporizedfuel from the channel is. adapted to be burned. The channel is suppliedwith liquid fuel, usually oil, through a control valve from a constantlevel oil reservoir, the oil reservoir and the burner base being locatedin the same horizontal level so that the oil can only rise to a certainheight in the fuel channel. Thus the head of oil that causes the flow ofoil from the reservoir to the burner is exceedingly small. When theburner is in steady operation there is usually relatively little oil inthe channel, the oil being vaporized in the oil pipe opening into thechannel or immediately around said pipe in the channel.

The oil regulating valve is usually of the needle type and, even whenopen wide enough to pass the maximum amount of oil that the burner canhandle, has a relatively small opening therethrough. Furthermore, it isan underwriters requirement that the valve shall not be capable of beingopened to pass oil at a faster rate than the oil can be burned otherwiseooding of the burner and aml unsatisfactory and dangerous operation mayresult. When the burner is idle, there is no oil therein. Due to thesmall oil passage through the valve, even when the valve is wide open,and also due to the small head of oil, it takes a relatively long time,sometimes four or ve minutes with the usual system, before enough oilruns into the fuel channel to start the burner in operation and to heatit up sufficiently to vaporize the incoming oil. The long time requiredto fill the fuel channel with oil is a disadvantage and it is an objectof the present invention to provide a range type oil burning system withmeans whereby the amount of oil necessary for starting the burner inoperation can be instantly introduced into the fuel channel or chamber.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by whichthe fuel can be instantly introduced or injected into the oil channel ofthe burner, the apparatus including a chamber that is in constantcommunication with, and below, the fuel line extending from the constantlevel oil reservoir to the fuel channel so that the chamber ismaintained constantly full of oil, the chamber having a movable wall bywhich the volume of the chamber may be decreased at will to force theoil out of the chamber and along the fuel line into the fuel channel ofthe burner.

It is desirable to lock the fuel injecting apparatus against operationexcept at times of starting the burner since the injection of oil intothe burner when the burnervis in operation would result in flooding theburner and causing improper operation and an overflow of burning oil.Hence, 5 a further object of the invention is in the association of theoil injecting apparatus with the control valve of the burner in such away that the injecting apparatus can not be operated when the oil valveis open.

The movable wall of the fuel injecting apparatus` is returnedautomatically to its normal position after an operation thereof andhence the oil that has been injected into the burner tends to return tothe fuel chamber. Hence, a further 15 object of the invention is theprovision of an oil burner having a dam between the outlet of the fuelline and the fuel channel in the burner so as to entrap in the channel apredetermined amount of injected oil thereby to prevent the oil from 20returning back into the injecting apparatus.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide an oil burner of thetype above set forth with two fuel channels separated by an air spaceand a fuel distributing Valve located in the air passage and arranged todeliver oil at the same time and separately to both channels.

Another object of the invention is generally to improve the constructionof oil burners.

Fig. l is an elevation partly in section of an oil burner systemembodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a, plan view taken of the fuel injecting and fuel regulatingapparatus taken partly in section along line 3--3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a detailed elevation of the fuel injecting and regulatingapparatus of Fig. 3 taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3 and showing thecontrol valve in closed position and the fuel injecting apparatus ininoperative position.

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 5, but showing the fuel injectingapparatus in an operated position and the fuel valve in locked andclosed positions.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating a modifiedconstruction of fuel injecting apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation and Fig. 9 is a plan view of a furthermodified form of fuel injecting apparatus.

Fig. l0 is a plan View of the burner base taken along line lill0 of Fig.1.

Fig. l1 is a side elevation of an outer vapor distributing cone of theburner base of Figs. 1 and 10.

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of an inner vapor distributing cone of theburner of Figs. 1 and 10.

top outer and inner annular fuel channels V26r and 28, the inner ring 24having a central air passage 30 and there being an annular air passage32 between the two rings. The rings are integrally connected byangularly spaced bridges 36 that span the air passage 32. One of thebridges 36 between the fuel rings is hollow and has a recess 38 thereininto the bottom of which a pipe 40 of the fuel line opens to admit fuelinto the fuel distributing recess 38. The confronting side walls of therings have fuel apertures 42 therethrough which open into the fuelchannels 26 and 28, the bottoms of the passages 42, in accordance withthe present invention, terminating above the bottoms of the oil channelsso that dams 43 are provided between the passages 42 and the fuelchannels whichserve to retain in the channels a suitable amount of oilthat can not flow back into the pipe 40. A pair of inner and outerperforated combustion tubes 44 and 46 upstand above the top of the outerfuel channel and another pair of outer and inner combustion tubes 48 and50 upstand above the top of the inner fuel channel as is the usualpractice in this type of burner. Annular igniting wicks 52 and 54 arelocated respectively in the outer and inner portions of the outer andinner fuel channels and are seated on ledges 56, see Fig. 1, which riseabove the bottom of the channels. An outer vapor distributing member orcone 58 is located in the outer fuel channel 26 and has its upper inneredge in substantial gas tight contact with the inner wall of thechannel, or with the inner combustion tube 46, and inclined downwardlyand outwardly toward the outer wall ofthe channel and away from the fuelopening 42, said member having an annular inwardly-directed horizontalflange 60 at the bottom thereof which is seated in an annular groove inthe bottom of the fuel channel and maintainsthe member in the aforesaidposition. The distributing member thus forms with the inner wall of thechannel an annular chamber 62 in the fuel channel which is incommunication with the fuel inlet 42. The distributing member 58 isprovided with a series of upper and lower openings 64 therein by whichfuel can pass through the distributing member and outer portion of thefuel channel and into the space between the combustion tubes. Since theoil is vaporized mainly in the chamber 38 and in the pipe 40 when theburner is in steady operation, the vapor distributing member 58 servesto conduct the oil vapors around the burner base and distribute thevapor into and practically equally throughout the lower portion of thecombustion tubes. The inner fuel channel 28 is provided with a generallysimilar member or cone 66 which, however, engages the outer wall or thecombustion tube 48 of the fuel channel and has the annular outstandinghorizontal flange 61 at the lower end which is seated in the bottom ofthe fuel channel.

Ordinarily a range employs two similarl burners mounted upon a suitablesupporting standard 10, but'one burner being herein shown.

Fuel is supplied to the burners from a constant fuel-level reservoir l2supported at the upper end of a suitable standard 16 and adapted toreceive the invert'ed'neck of an oil receptacle or bottle 18, the bottlepreferably being in line with the standard. The reservoir extendslaterally beyondthe bottle and carries an upstanding tube which has abracket 82 which provides a support for the bottle. The tube is open atits lower end to the oil in the reservoir and an igniter 84 for the oilburner is adapted to be stored within the tube with its porous lower endin the oil in thereservoir and supported from the top of the tube by theflame-snung member 86. The igniting device is described and claimed inmyY copending application Serial No. 628,708, filed August 13, 1932.

The level of oil in the oil reservoir 'l2 is adapted to stand somewhereabove the bottogm of the fuel openings 42 of the burner base and belowthe top of the burner. Oil is conducted from the constant levelreservoir through a pipe 88 to the valve and injecting mechanismgenerally indicated at 90 and thence through separate pipes 92, 94, seeFig. 2, to the burners.

The fuel control and injecting apparatus 90 is provided withV mea-nsseparately to control the rate at which fuel flows into Athe separateburners .and also separately to inject into each burner a sufficientamount of oil so that the burnerv can be instantly ignited and startedin operation. Said apparatus is illustrated more particularly in Figs.3, 4, 5, and 6. The apparatus comprises a body 96 having an oil passage98 with which the supply pipe 88 communicates. Separate valve passages|00 extend from the passage 98 and the flow of fuel through eachpassageis controlled by the conical end of a valve stem |02 which isscrew-threaded in the body 96 and terminates in a Valve operating disc|04 having an inwardly directed cylinder or drum |06that on its outerperiphery bears suitable'indicia, not shown, to indicate the degree of,openingof the valve. The two valves are in the same axial line. Fuelpasses from the valve passages |00 into separate horizontal oil passages|08 which communicate separately'with thepipes 92 .and 94. The body 96is provided with an integral cover plate ||0 which underlies thepassages. |08 and carries depending fuel injecting cylinders orreservoirs ||2 which are secured to the cover plate in any suitablemanner, as by soldering or brazing, and have cylinder heads or caps ||4,see Fig. 5, on their lower ends. Each cylinder has a piston ||6 securedto the lower end of a vertical piston rod I8 which is slidable in ,thebody 96 and in a stuffing box |20 and extends through the top of saidbody and is terminated in a suitable nger engaging device as the ring|22. A-compression spring |24 vsurrounds the piston rod within thecylinder and serves to urge the piston downward in the cylinder. Thepiston rod is provided with a central vent passage |26 that is open tothe atmosphere at the upper end and to the space under the piston at thelower end. The passage at the lower end is closed by the engagement ofthe bottom of the piston rod with a valve seat |28 of the end cap ||4when the piston is in its normal `lowerrnost position in the cylinder.The passage |26 is for theY purpose. of admitting air to, orv venting,.the under side of the piston so as to permit the .pistontobe elevatedwithout creating a vacuum in the bottom of the cylinder. A passage |30,see especially Fig. 4,.opens from the bottomcf thev passage |08 into the.top'of the cylinder so that the cylinder is adapted to be maintainedfull of oil at all times and oil must flow into the cylinder to i-lll itbefore it can flow further in the same direction toward a burn-er. Withthis arrangement, it is apparent that when a fuel valve is closed, oilcan be immediately injected from the cylinder H2 into the burner byraising the piston H6, the oil flowing out of the cylinder through thepassage |30 and along a pipe 92 or 94 into the burner. When the pistonis released the spring |24 returns the piston to its lowermost positionso that `oil can return from the burner into the cylinder. Due, however,to the dam 43 provided between the outlet of a supply pipe and the fuelchannel in the burner an amount of oil is entrapped in the channel thatis sufficient to heat up the burner so that it can vaporize the oil thatsubsequently flows into the burner through the open control valves,thereby to condition the burner for steady operation. After theinjecting device has been operated and has returned to its normalposition, the control valve is adapted to be opened. The oil that flowsthrough the Valve from the constant .oil level reservoir first runs intothe injecting cylinder and refills it. Additio-nal oil then passes oninto the burner.

It will be noted that, immediately after the injecting or priming devicehas been operated, the injecting cylinder is practically empty so thatoil can run thereinto and rei-lll it through the passage |30. Theeffective head of oil that forces oil through the regulating valve, atthis time, is the difference in levels of said passage and the oil levelin the supply reservoir 12. This difference, or head, is greater thanthe head on the valve, when the priming cylinder is full. Hence,immediately after the injecting or priming device has been operated, thehead of oil that acts to force oil through the valve, regardless of thesetting thereof becomes increased so that the priming cylinder can berapidly refilled with oil and additional oil can flow to the burner,before the priming charge has been entirely consumed, thereby tocontinue the operation of the burner without interruption.

It is highly important to prevent the operation of the injecting devicewhen the fuel valve is open as the burner then may be in operation andthe sudden injection of a large quantity of oil will cause the floodingand the dangerous operation of the burner and may cause burning oil tooverflow the burner. Hence locking mechanism is arranged between theinjecting device and the oil valve so that the injecting device can notbe operated except when the oil valve is closed and also, preferably, sothat the oil valve can not be opened except when the injecting device isin its lowered position. The locking mechanism comprises a plunger |32that is slidable in the body 96 and has a rounded end that is adaptednormally to be held within a similarly shaped annular groove |34 of thepiston rod |8 by a compression spring |36. The plunger has a stem |38which projects outwardly of the body and is terminated close to, and isadapted to be in line with an aperture or notch |40 of, the valvecylinder |06 when the valve is closed. When the valve is closed, thepiston rod 8 can be elevated, the plunger being forced out of theannular groove |34 by the movement ofthe piston rod and into the opening|40 of the valve cylinder, as is illustrated in Fig. 6, thereby to holdthe valve against being opened. When the piston is in its lowermostposition the valve can be opened and when the valve Iis open the recess|40 is out of alignment with the stem of the plunger and hence the valvecylinder holds the plunger from axial movement and thereby prevents theoperation of the injecting device. Each valve is so arranged that itsvalve stem can only be turned something less than a complete revolutionin an opening direction and when open to its maximum extent, will passthe maximum amount of oil that the burner can burn. Hence the injectingdevice can be operated only when its associated valve is closed.

A modified form of a fuel injecting cylinder is illustrated in Fig. '7,the cylinder |211 being composed of a single piece of drawn metal havingan annular outstanding attaching ange |42 at its upper end which issecured to the under side of the cover plate by screws |44.

A further modified form of fuel injecting device is illustrated in Figs.8 and 9. The cylinder |46 is composed of exible corrugated material, asa sylphon bellows, so that the cylinder can be compressed and expandedby the application of the pressure to the bottom plate |48 thereof. Inthis construction, the locking mechanism comprises a vertical pin |50which is carried by the bottom plate |48 and is adapted to be alignedwith a groove |52 of the valve disc |04, when the valve is closed, sothat the cylinder wall can be compressed to inject fuel into the burner,the pin preventing the opening of the valve when the cylinder iscompressed. When the valve is open, however, the groove |52 is out ofregister with the pin |50 so that the cylinder can not be compressed.

Instead of having the fuel enter the space between the two fuel channelsof the burner and thence pass laterally into each channel, theconstruction can be modified, to adapt the igniting apparatus to manyexisting burners, as illustrated in Fig. 13 where the fuel pipe 94aopens into the bottom of the fuel channel 26a. With this construction asleeve |54 is inserted in the fuel opening |56 to stand above the bottomof the fuel channel so as to provide a dam that will retain a suitableamount of oil in the channel after the injecting device has beenoperated.

With the usual construction of multi-ring burner of the general typeherein described, the incoming oil is introduced into one only of theseveral fuel channels and thence flows therefrom into the next fuelchannel. Hence, if the oil in one channel is ignited, as the oil isconsumed, cold oil from the communicating channel ilows into the heatedburning oil, thereby cooling it and hindering the heating of the burner.With the present construction, the oil that is in the two channelscannot intercommunicate and hence the burner can heat up and come into acondition for steady operation more rapidly.

I claim:

1. A liquid fuel burning system comprising a burner having a fuelchamber, a pipe for conducting fuel into said chamber, a control valvein said pipe, a fuel injecting device communicating with said pipe at apoint intermediate said valve and burner for injecting fuel into saidchamber, and locking means coacting with said valve and injecting meansand governed by the position of said valve for permitting operation ofsaid injecting device only when said valve is closed.

2. A liquid fuel burning system comprising a burner having a fuelchamber, a pipe for conducting fuel into said chamber, a control valvein said pipe, a fuel injecting device communicat- 'valve and burner forinjecting fuel into said chamber, and locking mechanism coactingv Withsaid valve and injecting device and operable to prevent the injection offuel when said valve is open and also to prevent the opening of saidvalve when said injecting device is being operated.

3. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising acontrol valve, fuel injecting means including a fuel chamber having apiston operable therein, and means coacting with and jointly controlledby said valve and piston to prevent the yconcurrent opening of saidvalve and the actuation of said piston to inject fuel.

4. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising acontrol valve, fuel injecting means operable independently of saidvalve, and means coasting With and governed by the position of saidvalve for controlling the operation of said injecting means.

5. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising acontrol valve, fuel injecting means operable independently of said valveincluding a fuel chamber having a piston operable therein, and lockingmechanism interposed between said valve and injecting means andco'acting with said valve to lock said piston against operation whensaid valve is open.

6. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising acontrol valve, fuel injecting means including a fuel chamber having apiston operable therein, a rod for actuating said piston, a lockingmember coacting with said rod to lock it against operation, and anabutmentmemher coacting with said valve arranged to position itsabutment in the path of movement of said locking member and hold saidlocking member in locking relation with said rod.

7. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising afuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder havinga piston operable therein, a locking member coasting With said pistonand operable to lock it against operation, and a member connected withsaid valve for controlling the movement of said locking member.

8, Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising afuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder, apiston in said cylinder having an operator, a locking member engagedwith said operator for holding it against operation and which is movedout of locking position by movement of said o-perator, and a memberconnected With said valve for at times preventing unlocking movement ofsaid locking member and for holding it in locking engagement with saidoperator.

9. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising afuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder, apiston in said cylinder having an operator, a locking member engagedwith said operator for holding it against operation and which is movedout of locking posit-ion by movement of said operator, and a memberconnected with said valve for at times preventing unlocking movement ofsaid locking member and for holding it in locking engagement With saidoperator, said valveconnected member having means for interlocking itwith said locking member when sai'doperator is unlocked for thenpreventing operation of said valve.

10. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising afuel regulating valve structure provided with a recess, fuel injectingmeans comprising a cylinder, a piston therein having a piston rodprovided With a recess, and a locking pin alternatively engageable Witheither recess;

1l. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising afuel regulating valve structure provided with a recess, fuel injectingmeans comprising a cylinder, a piston therein having a piston rodprovided With a recess, and a locking pin interposed between saidrecesses and normally held in the piston rod recess and moved out ofsaid recess When the piston rod is operated to enter the valve structurerecess when said latter recess is aligned with said pin.

l2. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising abody having a fuel passage therein, a valve in said passage, a cylindercarried by said body having a fuel opening communicating with saidpassage, a piston in said cylinder having a piston rod extended throughsaid body and terminated in an operating member, said piston rod havingan annular groove therein, a spring-pressed plunger normally located insaid groove, said valve having a stem, and a cylinder on said stemhaving a recess therein which confronts said plunger when the valve isclosed so that said piston rod can then be moved, said cylinderotherwise preventing movement of said plunger out of said rod recess.

13. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising abody having a fuel passage therein, a valve in said passage, a cylindercarried by said body having a fuel opening communicating With saidpassage, a piston in said cylinder having a piston rod extended throughsaid body and terminated in an operating member, said piston rod havingan annular groove therein, a spring-pressed plunger normally located insaid groove, said valve having a stem, and a cylinder on said stemhaving a recess therein vvhich confronts said plunger when the valve isclosed so that said piston rod can then be moved, said cylinderotherwise preventing movement of said plunger out of said rod recess,said operated piston rod also holding said plunger in. said recess andpreventing operation of said valve.

14. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising acontrol valve, fuel injecting means operable independently of said valvewhen said valve is closed, and means cooperating with said valve andinjecting means and rendered operative by the opening of said valve toprevent operation of said fuel injecting means when said valve is open.

l5. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising amanually operable fuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means operableindependently of said valve, and means cooperating with said valve andinjecting means and rendered operative by actuation of said fuelinjecting means to prevent opening of said valve when said fuelinjecting means is in an operated position.

' IVAN V. ABADJIEFT.

